Black, white, beads, stripes

 

 The pattern: McCalls 6646 (bodice only. The skirt was improvised by me)

 The fabric: Striped polished cotton - 40's? 50's? Who can tell me?

The location - My new kitchen!

 I op-shopped this polished cotton years ago and have been holding on to it wondering what to do with it. I wanted to use it for something special because it is just so wonderful. Finally I got sick of it wasting away in my fabric stash and decided to just use it. Surely anything I made with it would end up looking fabulous?

 It has a lovely little floral print which I wanted to bring out with perhaps some red shoulder straps or blue bows at the front. I couldn't decide so I went with the red ribbon sash.

It's removable and and it works. I'm pretty sure some red, or blue, shoes would look nice too.

Here it is without the ribbon.

Hey look! Matching nails. That works, too.

I feel like I look uncomfortable in these pictures (I was actually having fun!). 

Or maybe I look heavier. Do I have more of a chin?

I don't know. Maybe it's just these photos. *bangs head on desk*

The backdrop here is a bead curtain hanging in my new kitchen, in the doorway which leads to the laundry. I have always wanted a bead curtain.

Oh, oh! And I FIXED MY HAIR. Ding dong, the green hair is GONE. I really didn't want to try purple again and have the green come back to haunt me, so I just went with good old black.

The shaved side is still pink. It's a bit brighter now. I'm going to grow it out, but I'll keep dyeing it pink as it grows.

But back to my dress. I should mention how I made the skirt.

I cut the cotton into several 22" lengths, which I then stitched together to make one long piece. I gathered one long edge and stitched this to the waist of the bodice. This makes a skirt which is quite full but not floaty like a circle skirt (ie more wind-resistant). I'm starting to really love skirts like this because they can be made as gathered (or not) as one prefers.

Twirl, twirl.

The end.

Carnival dress

Last Saturday I went op-shopping. Whilst carting around armloads of clothes I REALLY need, I spotted a Laura Ashley quilt cover set which was just BEGGING me to turn it into a dress.

(Extra large rack appreciation pic)

I pulled the quilt cover off the hanger, paid all of $8 for it!! and took it home for its immediate transformation.

Ta-da.

 

 This fabric makes me think of carnivals and fairs from days gone by. There is something sweet about the print which brings to mind innocent fun and freedom. And fairy floss.

 

 

 The pattern I used is a Vogue 8766 , heavily modified. I used one and half circle skirts, which is to say I cut out 6 quarter circle pieces. I did this because I really wanted to gather the waist of the skirt, rather than having a flat circle skirt (if that makes sense). So the skirt is very full.

Attempting to demonstrate said fullness:

 

Weird insect pose:

 

 I gave the bodice a sweetheart neckline. The straps are slightly curved by making a pleat at the ends.

In order to wear the gathered waist without looking pregnant, I knew I had to lower the waistline of the bodice. I intended to make it rounded and soft but it ended up kind of pointed. However, I like it. It's more corsety.

 The buttons were all attached to the quilt cover so I wanted to re-use them. They are only pinned on here. I'm trying to decide how many suits best. Five looks nice but I can't decide if they look a bit crammed in?

 

  

I probably could have worn some carnival-y shoes for this post. Oh well.

Insert Post Title Here

See? I'm alive!

I just realised it's been almost a week since I posted anything and I've been generally absent from commenting on all the blogs I follow... various reasons apply, which I won't waste time whinging about! Get on with it! (she said to herself)

I also haven't done any sewing but I do have some good news - I have a 4 DAY weekend coming up and I plan to spend much of it sleeping and sewing and celebrating my Beloved's birthday.

I will hopefully finish this coat I've had going foreverrrrrrrr now:

 

The pattern is Butterick 5569 and I'm making the mid-length version in (surprise!) furry leopard print. (Or it might be cheetah?)

  

I also have a new bag design to try out. I've had 3 handbags this year so far (all retail) and each has broken in a different way. So I must make one! I can't show the design here because it's still in my head, but I can show off the 1940's polished cotton I'll be using:

 

 

It's very soft and thin, so it needs some serious lining. I've only been wondering what to do with it for about 2 years now.

Finally - speaking of birthdays - The Countdown is ON. It's just one month til my own birthday, and it's worthy of a countdown because it's the big 3-0 this year. Yikes! It's like I'll be a Real Adult or something. So the next month will be peppered with posts about the dress, shoes, cake, theme, and suchlike (because there WILL be a theme! With costumes!)

For now, here are the shoes I plan on buying:

 

Full costume reveal still to come! (As well as actual sewing posts.)

Oh! And speaking of shoes! I finally made a decision about which pretty items to buy for my feet. I can't wait til they get here! And I have some awesome boots to show off tomorrow. Whew!

Getting ready for a par-tay...

...a costume party no less!...





...see you on the other side!